I have read this thread with interest. Mitch is clearly never going to agree with the idea of banning semi-automatic weapons from the general public but I thought I'd add couple of observations from other countries.

New Zealand (my current domicile) openly sells guns. It freaked me out to see a major gun store next to a toy shop and opposite a pet store and still does to an extent. However, buying a gun is not easy. To get a license you have to have background checks which consider criminal, mental, medical, addiction and domestic violence and interviews are conducted with an applicant's spouse, partner, or next of kin before issuing a gun licence. Ownership for self-defence is strictly prohibited. Guns are allowed for hunting and little else really.

In Denmark (my previous domicile) applicants for a gun owner’s licence have to prove genuine reason to possess a firearm, for example, hunting, target shooting, collection; and pass background checks which consider criminal and mental records.

In the Uk (my birthplace) background checks are also required, as is a genuine reason and third party references. Handguns and semiautomatic weapons are prohibited for common use.

This site was useful to get details on gun regulations: www.gunpolicy.org.

Someone intent enough on getting an illegal weapon will most likely be able to get one, just as someone intent on killing a large number of people with a bomb will. I just don't think making it easy to get one exactly helps matters, and I think that is borne out by the frequency of shootings in schools reported globally: www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0777958.html. The US lead the world in this sad statistic.

I'm not a US citizen and don't really understand the deep-seated compulsion on many towards their right to own a gun. I don't feel relaxed around any kind of firearm. However, even accepting this as a right, I still don't understand why anyone outside the armed or justice forces should have access to a firearm capable of firing 30 shots in 30 seconds. If they were not available, perhaps a few more of the children tragically killed at Sandy Hook and all the other schools where shootings had been seen would be alive now.